France Ô(pronounced[fʁɑ̃so]) was a Frenchfree-to-airtelevision channel featuring programming from the Frenchoverseas departmentsandcollectivitiesinMetropolitan France.It was part of theFrance Télévisionsgroup. It was a national counterpart of the localOutre-Mer 1èrenetworks.[1]
 Final logo, used from 2018 until 2020. | |
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | France |
| Headquarters | 3–4, rue Danton 92299Malakoff,Hauts-de-Seine |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV(16:9) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | France Télévisions |
| Sister channels | France 2 France 3 France 4 France 5 France Info |
| History | |
| Launched | 25 February 2005 |
| Replaced | RFO Sat(1998–2005) |
| Closed | 24 August 2020 |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digital terrestrial television | Channel 19 |
| Digital terrestrial televisionin Overseas France | Channel 6 or 7 or 8 |
History
editThe channel was launched in 1998 asRFO SatbyJean-Marie Cavada,then-president ofRFO,and initially broadcast for only 9 hours per day. It was re-branded as France Ô on 25 February 2005 after the reunification of RFO withFrance Télévisions.The "O" stands forOutre-mer(overseas); thecircumflex,which is considered anaccentin French grammar, was used to emphasize that the channel was open to diverse accents and dialects, as well as to ensure that the name was not read asFrance 0( "France zero" ).[2]
The channel became available in overseas territories in November 2010, replacing the RFO-operated Tempo, and was launched inDTTnationally the same year.
Closure
editIn July 2018 the French government announced the closure of France Ô due to declining viewership. The ceasing of broadcast was scheduled for 9 August 2020, in time for the climax of the2020 Summer Olympics,but was later pushed to 24 August due to scheduling issues caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic,which resulted in the games being initiallydelayedto 2021. The last programme broadcast on the channel was a repeat of the concertL'Outre-mer fait sonOlympia2019.After this, the channel only broadcast a loop of commercials promoting a new France Télévisions portal for overseas territories, known as "Portail des Outre-mer La 1ère", in addition to other overseas-themed programs on other France Télévisions channels. Its signal was permanently cut off on 2 September.[3][4]
Logos
edit-
Logo of France Ô from 7 April 2008 till 29 January 2018. -
Logo of France Ô from 29 January 2018 till 24 August 2020. -
On-screen logo of France Ô from 29 January 2018 till 24 August 2020.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"En Polynésie, la suppression annoncée de France Ô ne passe pas".Le Monde(in French). 18 February 2019.Retrieved18 February2019.
- ^Desroses, Sandrine (1 March 2005)."France Ô remplace RFO Sat".Retrieved9 April2008.
- ^"France Ô a fait ses adieux".ozap(in French).Retrieved2 September2020.
- ^"Franceinfo passera en HD dès le 1er septembre après la fermeture de France Ô".ozap(in French). 19 August 2020.Retrieved23 March2021.